Charlotte, Seraphina, and Ava leaned over the nearest desk, picking up the glowing mana contracts. Their eyes scanned the runes and shimmering text—and immediately widened in disbelief.

Charlotte was the first to react. She almost burst out laughing, covering her mouth to suppress it.

Seraphina shook her head slowly, a faint smile curling her lips. "Yeah... it's definitely Alex," she said, her tone both amused and exasperated.

Ava, holding the contract delicately, spoke in a soft, hesitant voice. "I... I'll support him anyway," she murmured, her cheeks slightly pink as she looked down.

The entire group of first-years fell silent. The air grew heavy as they all began reading through the contract's terms.

The glowing letters on the parchment stated the following:

---------------------------

*Contract Terms

1.All first-year students shall support Charlotte Evans Avaloria in the Student Council President election.

2. They shall not disclose any events or information related to this contract or associated activities.

3. No participant shall disclose any details, events, or strategies discussed or witnessed within this training ground.

4. They shall never betray Charlotte Evans under any circumstance.

5. They must oppose any rival candidates if instructed.

6. They agree to promote Charlotte's image when possible.

7. They shall assist her campaigns with resources or manpower if required.

---------------------------

Whispers erupted instantly.

"This is insane..."

"He's really doing this?"

"Wait it's like... he's making us pledge allegiance to Charlotte?"

Alex mirked as he said "As you guys already know the consequences of breaking a mana contract—if any of you break the contract, the mana bound to your core will go haywire, reject you from the inside out... and well, you'll explode. Painfully at that."

A shudder ran threw the crowd.

Before the murmurs could grow louder, a tall student with sharp crimson eyes stepped forward. Elaria Dawncrest—known for his noble heritage and arrogance—spoke up, his tone laced with indignation.

"This is tyranny!" he declared. "I will never sign something like this. I'm free to support whoever I want!"

The crowd tensed. Even Alden paused, glancing toward Alex.

Then Alex's voice cut through the air—calm yet commanding, carrying an edge that made the room tremble slightly.

"Of course, you're free to support whoever you want," he said, his gaze fixed firmly on Elaria. "It's just that... I already chose the person you 'would' want to support with all your heart."

Elaria's mouth twitched, unsure how to respond, but Alex wasn't finished.

"So you should be happy about it. After all, as first-years, you should support your *fellow* first-year—not someone like Lucas evans avaloria, who's already making your lives miserable."

A hush spread across the crowd.

"You've all heard it, haven't you?" Alex continued, his tone turning sharp. "First-years being forced to support Lucas. Those who refuse get beaten or threatened."

Murmurs of agreement spread among the crowd. A few students nodded grimly, recalling incidents they'd witnessed.

"But me?" Alex said, placing a hand on his chest with mock sincerity. "I'm giving you a *choice*."

He let the silence linger for a moment before speaking again, his voice lowering into a confident challenge.

"So I'll ask just once. Who will you support?"

The tension held for a moment—then one student stepped forward. Then another. Slowly, the murmur grew into cheers.

"I'll support Charlotte!"

"Count me in!"

"Charlotte evans avaloria for The student council President!"

Soon, nearly the entire hall erupted in support. The cheers shook the barrier, echoing like thunder. Alden crossed his arms, grinning proudly at Alex.

Alex, satisfied, gave a faint smile. "Good. The vampire and elven factions have already submitted. The dwarves follow Draven's lead. That means the majority is already in our favor."

He lifted a hand. "Now... make your choice. Those who support Charlotte, stand on my right. Those who don't—on the left."

Students hesitated for only a moment before moving. Waves of first-years began shifting toward Alex's right side. The ground almost seemed to tilt with how many joined him.

By the time the movement stopped, nearly ninety percent stood proudly on his side. The remaining ten percent lingered stubbornly on the left—led, of course, by Elaria Dawncrest and a few other nobles who refused to yield.

Alex's gaze sharpened like a blade. His eyes locked onto them, cold and unyielding.

'Let's see how long your pride lasts,' he thought.

"Alright," he said aloud, his voice deceptively calm. "Tell me your names."

The nobles exchanged nervous glances. They had all witnessed Alex's terrifying strength before and had no intention of provoking him—but his tone left no room for refusal.

One by one, they spoke their names.

Alex nodded, mentally noting each one. Then he smiled faintly—a smile that made the entire group shiver.

"Don't worry," he said casually. "I'm not going to beat you up."

Then, to everyone's surprise, he pulled out his EtherPad and began typing.

"Miss Selena," he said calmly into the device, "I'm sending you a list of names. Find out what businesses their families are involved in. And then... use every connection we have to shut them down."

A wave of shock swept through the nobles. Their faces turned pale.

Elias's lips curled into a mocking grin. "You think your empty threats will scare us? You're a commoner, Alex so what if you've become somewhat famous. You don't have that kind of power or influence."

Alex raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Then it happened.

The EtherPads of every noble around Elaria buzzed simultaneously. The piercing sound echoed across the hall.

One of them frowned and answered the call. "Father? What's—"

Before he could finish, a furious voice shouted through the device.

"You idiotic buffoon! Who the hell did you offend?! All our business deals are getting canceled one after another! Fix this—NOW!"

The boy's face turned ghostly pale as he looked towards alex mocking smile. "F-Father, I... I'll fix it right now!"

Without hesitation, he bolted across the floor and joined the group on Alex's right. "I'll support Lady Charlotte! Please don't cancel our deals!"

The others stared in disbelief—until more EtherPads started buzzing.

One after another, nobles picked up the calls.

"What do you mean our contracts with the Lareth Consortium are gone?!"

"Father, please—listen, I didn't—"

"You moron! Our partners just pulled out their funding and they are saying it's because of you! Fix this immediately!"

The pattern repeated again and again. Panic spread like wildfire. Within minutes, the remaining nobles, drenched in sweat and humiliation, scrambled toward Alex's side.

Elias stood frozen, disbelief written all over his face as he watched his supporters betray him one by one.

Alex simply crossed his arms, expression unreadable.

'And that,' he thought with a faint smirk, 'is how you turn politics into art of business and influence.'

Elias was the only one left standing on the left side—alone, now trembling.

His breath hitched, body frozen from the shock of what had just unfolded before his eyes. He clenched his fists, but his pride was already in shambles.

Then, as if on cue, his EtherPad buzzed violently.

With dread pooling in his gut, Elias slowly answered.

"Elias," came his father's enraged voice, booming through the speaker. "What have you done?! The pharmaceutical company rumored to have found a cure for Abyssal Corruption just pulled out of their deal! They were about to provide it to the Church, and now everyone's saying it's your fault!"

The fury in the man's voice could've shattered glass.

"Every noble house and the church is now blaming me for your stupidity! FIX IT IMMEDIATELY... or I swear, I'll disown you this instant!"

The call ended with a sharp beep.

A cold shiver tore through Elias. His legs nearly gave out as despair set in. Without another second of hesitation, he sprinted toward Alex, dropping all pretenses of nobility or arrogance.

He skidded to a stop before him, panting, face pale.

"The contract! Give me the contract! I-I'll sign it!" Elias pleaded, his hands shaking. "Please... I beg you!"

Gasps erupted from the crowd of first-years who were still nearby.

No one could believe what they were seeing.

Elias Dawncrest—once the most prideful, arrogant noble of the celestera empire —was groveling before Alex Dragonheart.

Alex, watching calmly, finally offered the contract with a serene smile.

Elias snatched it like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline and scribbled his signature as fast as he could.

Still trembling, he stuttered, "J-Just who the hell... are you?"

Alex tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting with amusement.

"Me?" he said, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm just your friendly neighborhood commoner."

Then, flashing a wider grin, he added, "Or... as someone just called me—maybe a tyrant sounds a lot cooler."

The crowd laughed, even those who had been skeptical before. The tension had broken.

Then Alex stood tall on the platform, clearing his throat with a theatrical cough.

"So, guys," he said loudly, sweeping his arms wide, "as your beloved Apex I've done my duty, I just united the entire first-year faction. Doesn't that count for applause?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Well? So What are you all waiting for? Clap and get lost—I'm busy."

Everyone blinked, then erupted into claps and cheers.

The cheers grew louder. Students began clapping hard enough to shake the floor. Some girls even screamed his name like fangirls at a concert.

"Alex!"

"Dragonheart supremacy!"

"I love you, Alex!"

Alex smirked saying " I know i also love myself."

Alex rolled his eyes, clearly entertained. With a snap of his fingers, the barrier around the training field shimmered and dissolved.

The first-years began to exit, chatting excitedly.

Alex let out a long sigh. "Hah... I really am turning into a tyrant."

Alden now watching the scene looked around at the now-vacant training field, hands in his pockets.

'What we've been struggling to accomplish for months… he just did it in a few hours.'

He smirked to himself. 'I'm actually impressed.'

Among the dispersing students, Ethan stood silently, watching from a distance. His eyes fell on Alex, who was now bickering with Alden in the corner— about something.

Ethan was about to slip away with the last group when someone blocked his path.

Seraphina.

Her arms crossed, face stern.

"Where do you think you're going?" she said sharply. "Go and talk to him and Apologize."

Ethan looked down, guilty.

Seraphina continued.

"It's another matter if he forgives you or not," she continued. "But at least go talk to him."

Ethan sighed. "Sera... I want to. I really do. But I can't."

He clenched his fists. "Back then... during the teleportation… we left him behind to die. I told him not to forgive me and I meant it."

His voice cracked.

"So how can I walk up to him now, all shameless, and ask for forgiveness? Wouldn't that just be insulting him?"

Seraphina's expression softened slightly. "Then let him insult you in return. Let him punch you. Let him yell at you. But at least try."

Ethan looked past her, toward Alex, who had now slung an arm around Alden and was laughing about something.

'Maybe... she's right,' Ethan thought. 'I owe him that much.'

----

Meanwhile Alex EtherPad buzzed.

He checked it lazily—only for a vein to bulge on his forehead as he read the notification.

---------

Account Update:

1,000,000 Credits have been deducted from your account.

---------

Alex's eye twitched as he yelled.

'You little brat...'

"You just wait..."

He pulled up his contacts.

"Where is Draven when I need him the most? I swear I'll bring in an even bigger hacker to teach her a lesson..."

His voice faded into mutters as he looked around in search of his tech-savvy friend, already plotting cyber warfare.

------

A/N:

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